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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

popping back in to report on our hike... which almost escaped us once again!

a little bit of a cheat (maybe?) on this one. we hiked over to Pierce College today for their Annual Farm Walk. we are so lucky to have this campus nearby, with its great recreational facilities, its agricultural center, and its abundant wide-open spaces. while the space has been reduced in recent years, it still is a prize to have within walking distance of our home.

Proximity: 0 miles (we started from our front door!)
Hike length: 3 1/2 miles : from our front door to the gate to the Ag center is about 1 1/3 miles plus hiking around the Ag center...and home again!
Bonus features: chickens, and cows, and goats! oh my! (plus sheep shearing, horse shows, live music, and much more)
Tips: It is always hot for Farm Walk (bring water!). The rest of the year you can't explore the farm as much, but there are great trails through the campus - all pretty easy.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

K has declared that when she grows up she will be a mom with 3 kids and live on a ranch in California where she will train horses and care for sheep, goats, chickens and love birds. And she will own a 1000 inch plasma tv and eat in her own pizzeria.

E is still set on living in Paris.

I love 8 and 11. And am looking forward to 9 and 12 just around the corner.

These are D's instructions on how to fold paper pots (circa 2009). We use them to start seedlings for our garden, and are busy folding them today.

We are a little late with planting this year - but I think we will make it. I've spent the last couple of weekends contemplating how to keep the chickens out of the raised beds. We have just run chicken wire around in the past - but it was looking a little shabby so I wanted to go with wattle - but would have to purchase the supplies. (Or wait for my friend John's tree to grow up again!) While D was thinning and trying to propagate our bamboo last weekend, he suggested I try a wattle-fashioned fence out of it. Here is what we have right now. I'm not exactly sure about it. But it was easy. And it was free. So we will see how it holds up.

We've got tomatoes, zucchini, persian cucumbers in, and lettuce, basil, cilantro onions seeded. Also trying a go at luffa this year. We will start peppers, eggplant today. Peas and Beans to come... The girls also seeded their cut-flower garden last weekend. The chooks had a go at it, so time will tell.